


Just Wanted to Say

by lettuce_bee17



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Trolls, Headcannon that Eli swears a lot when no one's around, Jim's not the trollhunter, Love Letters, M/M, Pining Steve, Secret Admirer, it's just a normal high school
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:50:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lettuce_bee17/pseuds/lettuce_bee17
Summary: Just wanted to say, I think you're cute. <3





	1. I think you're cute

**Author's Note:**

> To avoid confusion, this is from Eli's point of view.
> 
> TW: homophobic slurs

_just wanted to say, u suck xoxo loser_

Great, who thought that this "just wanted to say" project would be a good idea? To stop the Arcadia Oaks High School bullying problem, the teachers started this project where you have to take a sticky-note, write something nice on it starting with "just wanted to say", and put it on, or in, someone's locker. In reality, it only made the bullying problem worse. The teachers weren't checking what what students were writing - something about privacy or some shit - and everyone was just taking it as a huge joke... And I was generally the punchline. Knock, knock. Who's there? A loser. A loser who? Oh yeah, me. When I had opened my locker an avalanche of brightly colored papers had flooded out. A teacher had smiled at me as she walked by, thinking that they all said something nice. I just wanted to curl up in some corner and die, knowing that they didn't.

_just wanted to say, ur a nerd_

_i just wanted 2 say hi faggot._

_Just wanted to say, you should really just go kill yourself, your a waste of air._

I was about to crumple them all up and throw them all away or maybe flush them down a toilet somewhere when a certain pink one caught my eye.

_Just wanted to say, I think you're cute. <3_

I scowled, it was probably one of the jocks. It wasn't the first time they had tried to make fun of me like this. The first time I had believed that it was actually someone who  _actually_ liked me. Like I'd let  _that_ happen again. My fists closed harshly, crushing the sticky-notes that filled them. I glanced around to make sure there were no teachers around before I dropped them in one of the many large trash cans that fill the hallways of AOHS. I was very familiar with these trash cans. The sticky-notes fluttered down onto the trash like colorful butterflies. The pink one sat on top, it was almost like it was taunting me. The sound of the bell rang through the hallways, signalling that homeroom was starting in five minutes. I took in a deep breath of air before turning back to my locker to grab my backpack. As my hand reached up to shut the small, metal door I heard a voice call out from behind me.

"Hey Pepperjack!" I briefly shut my eyes and sent a quick prayer to any deity that might exist in hopes that I might not get shoved into the locker I had still yet to close. I calmly turned around, careful to keep my eyes pointed towards the ground. "Are you always this rude?" A hand slammed harshly against the metal next to my head, effectively shutting my locker. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, nerd." I could feel my breathing pick up in speed as I lifted my head to look into the brown eyes of the boy towering over me. 

"What do you want, Steve?" My voice was weak, I barely suppressed my wince when I heard it crack. Loud cackling burst out from behind Steve, causing him to turn to Logan and Brad with an evil grin painted on his face. The blond quickly turned his attention back to me, his eyes flickering with something that I couldn't quite name, even if I tried there was no way 'sympathy' could be right. It was really no wonder this guy was popular, he's easily the most attractive guy at AOHS.  _No Eli, this guy's a dick. Don't think like that._  

"What are you waiting for? Punch him!" Logan found far too much entertainment in this for him to even come close to being called an 'intelligent life form', but I supposed that goes for all of them. Steve's smile quickly disappeared before being replaced by a look I could only describe a solemn, but that can't be right. Maybe Steve just makes strange facial expressions, that has to be it. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the hit that was sure to come. It still hurt when it came. No matter how often it happens, it never hurts less. You'd think that I would know how to take a hit at this point, yet, here I am curling up into myself in pain as three boys, no older than myself, kick me with far too much glee. 

"Oh flip man. Homeroom starts in, like, a minute." Steve's sudden realization caused the kicking to cease for a moment until Brad spoke up with one last kick. "Don't think that this is over, fag." I could feel the tears running down my cheeks and I was thankful that I had landed myself in a position that hid my face from their view.  I heard footsteps start to retreat from my broken body before stopping.

"You coming, Steve?" 

"Yeah." The two sets of footsteps resumed. The softly whispered 'I'm sorry' before a third set joined them had to be my imagination.

* * *

The bathrooms are almost always empty during homeroom. I know because it's the only class that I will ever allow myself to miss. I know because that's where I am now. I know because I'm grossly sobbing in an empty stall in an empty bathroom wishing I were anywhere else. At this point I'm not even sure I remember where I'm supposed to go for homeroom. I don't know how my mom hasn't found out yet, we're already a month into school and I've maybe gone to homeroom twice. God, I'm pathetic. Granted, today was worse than usual. Stupid "just wanted to say" project. Stupid fake love note. Stupid Steve and his stupid fucking face. It's truly unfair how attractive he is. Maybe if he were uglier it would be easier for me to deal with him, at least he'd be less intimidating.  The more I thought about Steve the more I thought about the weird expressions he had been making and the weird auditory hallucination, because what else could it have been, that I'd had. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that Steve felt sorry for me. My breath caught in my throat as I heard the door to the boy's bathroom open. I started to panic, no one ever comes here during homeroom. What if they hear me crying?  _What if it's Steve?_

"Eli? Are you in here?" It was the voice of Arcadia Oaks' resident nice guy, Jim Lake. He probably came to find me to keep up his image. "Eli, I can hear you crying. What's wrong?"

I didn't want anyone to see me like this but there's no way Jim's going anywhere anytime soon. I sniffled briefly and wiped my eyes, trying to look at least a little bit better, before opening the door to the stall I had been hiding in. Even if Jim is only doing this to make himself look better, he's still the only person who's even pretended to be nice to me, so I appreciate  _that_ at least. Looking up from the tiled floor I saw Jim's eyes had widened and his mouth had fallen open as he took in my beat up and broken appearance. His gaze quickly softened into something much more kind.

"Coach has been worried about you, you've come to homeroom twice this year." So  _that's_ where I'm supposed to go for homeroom. "I offered to come find you and see if you were okay." And  _that's_ why Jim is here, so everyone in homeroom knows he cares about the nerd. Jim was looking at my expectantly and I realized that I still hadn't said anything.

"I'm fine. Just Steve and his stupid friends. It's nothing to worry about, I'm used to it." My eyes drifted back down to the tiles on the floor. I could hear Jim's exasperated sigh.

"It's not okay, Eli. Steve shouldn't be able to do this to you. He's an idiot and he has no right to make you feel like this." Steve and his lackeys were the only people in the school that I had ever seen Jim be even remotely mean to. "Come on, let's go to the principal. You shouldn't be dealing with this."

"No!" I may have said that a little too quickly as Jim looked at me with widened, shocked eyes. I couldn't go to the principal, then my mom would know about all this and she'd have to be worried about me. She already worries about me enough as it is, she'd probably force me into online schooling or homeschooling or something if she found out I was being bullied. I cleared my throat and pushed my glasses back up on my nose. "No. Just- Just let me handle this on my own." 

Jim looked apprehensive to leave me - probably because taking the loser to the principal to stand up for him would be great for his image - but eventually he turned with a slight nod and left the bathroom. As soon as he was gone I turned back toward my stall and sat back down on the toilet, waiting for the bell to ring.

  
  



	2. Your eyes are beautiful

Coming out of the bathroom took more courage than it normally does. My eyes were still bloodshot and wet from my tears. I kept my head down on my way to drama class. At least no one made fun of me there - well, not passed the point that I could handle. It's weird, being so much of a loser that even the other losers make fun of you. I walked into Miss Janeth's classroom with my eyes stubbornly pointed at the floor. I quietly took my usual seat in the back next to Claire Nuñez. As soon I was in the chair the dark haired girl was leaning over to talk to me.

"Jim said you weren't in homeroom. Is everything okay?" Claire had never really paid any attention to me before she started dating Jim after the 'Romeo and Juliet' production. Which I'm pretty sure Jim only auditioned for to hang out with Claire. Now, she and Jim, and occasionally Jim's friend, Toby, were pretty much the only people who ever talked to me, at least without any insults.

"I'm fine, Claire. Don't worry about me." My voice was quiet and I still hadn't raised my head to actually look at her. From the corner of my eye I could see her tilt her head as if she were about to question me again. She didn't say anything, though, and I wasn't in any way inclined to continue the conversation. My vision didn't raise from the surface of my desk until the bell rang. I simply watched my hand doodle while vaguely listening to Miss Janeth ramble on about Shakespeare. When the bell _did_ ring, I waited patiently for all the other kids to leave before packing my things and following. I noticed Claire lingering in the doorway for a few seconds as if she were waiting for me, but she quickly spotted her boyfriend and left in favor of walking to her next class with him. I hurried out of the classroom, only barely remembering to stiffly wave at my favorite teacher as I left. I didn't really want to be rude, but it was just one of those days where I really didn't want to deal with anyone and keeping my head down and my voice silent was the easiest way to do that. Walking away from the classroom, I stayed close to the wall and focused on the brown tiles that covered the floors of the hallways. Of course, this caused me to get pushed to the ground by Logan without having any hope of stopping it - but, hey, at least I got to add some laughter to his day. By the time I reached my locker only a few students were still roaming the halls, most were just sitting in their classrooms waiting for the bell to ring again. I hastily opened the metal door of my locker, causing a small, yellow sticky-note to flutter down to the ground at my feet.

_Just wanted to say, your eyes are beautiful, I wish they had less fear._

Fantastic, another fake love note. I can't even believe that they're stupid enough to think that I'd fall for this again. I crumpled the small piece of paper up and shoved it in my pocket, I'll throw it away later. Or maybe I'll show it to my mom and pretend that someone likes me so she stops worrying so much. I deposited my drama notebook and shut the door to my locker. When I turned around I made the mistake of looking up and found Steve Palchuk staring at me. He was alone, Logan and Brad had probably already gone to class. I half expected him to start yelling insults at me or even come beat me up again, instead he quickly averted his eyes from mine and hurried off in the complete opposite direction as his next class. I only know because we - unfortunately - have A.P. Language together. I shook any thoughts of Steve out of my head. Why should I care if he's being weird? As long as he's not beating me up, I'm good. I turned back in the direction I had just come from to head back to Miss Janeth's Classroom. I should have just stayed, but then I would have been the only one there and I would've had to either sit in complete silence with Miss Janeth or try to have a conversation with her. Frankly, I wasn't in the mood to attempt either of those things. I got back to the class a minute or so before the bell rang and took the same seat that I had been sitting in the period before, only this time, Claire wasn't next to me, just an empty seat.  

"Welcome students." Miss Janeth started her 'welcome to class' speech seconds after the bell had rung - just as she did every single day, in every single class. I got the honor of hearing it twice a day. She looked around the room, quickly marking things down on her attendance sheet. "Has anyone seen Steve?" Yes, we made eye contact in the hallway and he ran away - it wasn't weird at all. No one said anything, so Miss Janeth simply scratched an X next to, where I assume, Steve's name is on the paper.

"Alright." There was a moment of silence as Miss Janeth placed the paper in a folder next to her desk. "Today we will be starting a group project." A chorus of groans sounded throughout the room, I would've joined them but instead I simply continued to sit in silence, hoping Miss Janeth would just forget I was there so that I could do the project by myself - it had happened before. "You will be working with the person sitting directly next to you." 

I glanced to my right where I knew there was an empty desk. Perfect. I sat, contented, as Miss Janeth began listing the pairs that would be working together. It was peaceful, at least until Steve Palchuk burst through the door, panting and yelling 'I'm sorry I'm late' and other variations of the phrase. As soon as he got his composure in check, under Miss Janeth's disapproving gaze, his eye started to look around the room for an empty seat. It only took a few seconds for his view to stop on the seat next to mine. I quickly looked around the room myself. Fuck. The only empty desk was the one next to me. I would have to do an entire project with  _Steve._ The blond jock didn't look at me once as he sat down to my right. As soon as he was seated he started talking again. "I really am sorry that I'm late Miss Janeth.... I - um - got... stuck in the - bathroom..." Most of the class laughed at him, which, for some reason, caused Steve to grin - as if he were  _trying_ to be funny and not just coming up with some bullshit excuse.

"It's no problem." Miss Janeth didn't even seem bothered as she went to her attendance sheet and erased the X she had draw. "In fact, you just saved Eli and yourself from having to do this project by yourselves!" Right...  _saved._  

"Wait - do you mean?" That's what got him to look at me. The realization that we would be working together on an English project. "I have to do a project with Pepperjack?" Everyone snickered again while I rolled my eyes. 

"You should be thankful, Steve. Eli's the smartest kid in class, this project may help you get your grade up." It was sort of amazing, seeing Steve embarrassed. The red on his cheeks was an incredibly refreshing sight compared to his normal sneer or smirk. 

"Fine." Was all he mumbled before turning his gaze down to face his desk. Miss Janeth passed out the grading descriptor so that everyone could talk about what they were going to do. Steve and I didn't talk for the entirety of class. He probably wasn't going to talk to me at all, just let me do the whole project so that he could write his name on it and get the grade he needs. I didn't really mind, the less time spent with Steve, the better. With a four week long project I'd be glad if Steve didn't want to do it with me. The only problem is, the final part is an individual response and it would be easier on Steve if he was helping to do the research - not that I care, he could fail this project for all I care, as long as I don't. The bell rang and everyone began making plans to meet up over the weekend to start work on their projects. I hastily grabbed my bag in a rush to get away from Steve. I was just out the door when I heard his voice.

"Wait, Pepperjack." I turned to look back at his brown eyes, which were filled with apprehension. "My house or yours?" I sounded like it physically pained him to say those words. I'd be lying if I said they didn't catch me by surprise.

"Um... what?" 

"The project. Do you want to meet at my house or yours?" His apprehension was gone, quickly replaced with annoyance.

"I - uh - I don't really care..." I was beyond confused at this point. I was sure that Steve would've just let me do this alone.

"Yours then. Give me your arm." I held up my arm without hesitation, scared of what he would do to me if I didn't. "That's my number. Text me your address and I'll be there at 2:00 tomorrow. Got it?" Steve didn't wait for me to respond before storming off down the hallway. I looked down at my arm to see the numbers Steve had written. Could this day get any weirder?

 


	3. I wish I was half as smart as you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you to everyone who's reading this. This is my first real fanfiction and it means so much to know that people are actually enjoying it. <3

I glanced at my clock nervously for the third time in the last hour.

**1:57**

The numbers flashed threateningly at me. I only had three minutes before Steve Palchuk would be in my house. I only had three minutes until the boy who has tormented me for years would be in my _bedroom_. I took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to calm myself down. Steve would never let me live it down if he found out I was on the verge of panicking in my own room at just the thought of seeing him. I heard myself groan loudly as my shaking hands came up to cover my face. Why couldn't I have been stuck in a group with anyone else? Even Shannon would have been better and she's always staring at me creepily. My head shot back out of my palms when I faintly heard the doorbell ring and my mom's voice carrying up the stairs.

"Eli? You have a visitor!" Steve. She sounded excited. Of course, she doesn't know what Steve has done to me, she probably thinks he's my friend or something. "Shall I add another table setting?" Oh god no.

"No Mom! He's just here for school." Please don't let Steve stay for dinner. It might be a fate worse than death.

"It's really no bother. It's great to finally meet a friend of yours!" Nope. This was not happening. There is no way I can possibly let my mother believe that Steve Palchuk and I are friends. Then she'll start asking about him. _How's Steve?_ And I'll have to try really hard to not respond with anything like, 'Oh, he's great. He beat me up again today it was a lot of fun!'

"HE'S NOT A FRIEND! JUST SEND HIM TO MY ROOM!" Too far. I shouldn't have yelled. Deep breaths, Eli. Anger is not going to make dealing with Steve any easier.

"ELIJAH LESLIE PEPPERJACK!" Great, now Steve has been witness to, not only me shouting at my mother, but also my mother shouting at me. And, on top of that, he now knows my middle name. I haven't even _seen_ Steve yet and this is already the worst day of my life.

"Send him to my room." I repeated, considerably calmer this time, before adding a 'please' for good measure. Not long after I heard steps coming up the stairs and suddenly Steve was opening my door in my face and hastily closing it behind him, causing me to jump back and cower in fear - not something I'd say that I'm proud of. Steve stared at me for a moment before his face broke out into a - surprisingly not menacing - smirk.

"Leslie?" His smirk quickly dropped before he averted his eyes and softly muttered under his breath. "Guess we both have a secret." What? I almost opened my mouth to question him but stopped almost immediately once I realized what I was about to do.

"So..." I could hear the fear in my voice, I just prayed that Steve wouldn't notice. My fear is the last thing I want Steve to know about. "I know us being partners isn't ideal but..." My words were shaking, I could tell. And from the way Steve had started looking at me, I'm pretty sure he could to. I squeezed my eyes shut. I not really sure what I was expecting Steve to do, but the soft words that I heard were nowhere close.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Pepperjack..." I reopened my eyes to see that Steve had made himself comfortable sitting in my desk chair and was now rummaging through his backpack, assumedly looking for the project outline.

"Wha - I mean - What?" I was beyond confused. Steve stopped flipping through papers in his bag and sat up straight, looking me directly in the eye. I subtly started squirming under his gaze but I don't think he noticed.

"What?" Steve looked almost... hurt. "Did you think I would come to your house to work on own English project and beat you up in your own home?" I opened my mouth to speak again but he cut me off before I even had a chance to make a noise. "I'm not that much of a dick, Eli." My mouth fell open in awe at something As simple as him calling me by my given name - well, nickname, I guess. Still, I don't think I've ever heard Steve say the name 'Eli' before. I silently nodded and went over to my own bag as he went back to his.

"Okay." I was almost startled when I heard Steve speak up again. I looked back over to him, seeing him holding his packet in his hands. I gave up my search for the identical one in my bag in favor of sitting on my bed to actually listen to Steve. Never thought I'd ever _want_ to listen to Steve. "Step one; Choose a topic from the attached list." Steve flipped the paper over the staple before reading off the topic options on the next page. "Option one, border control slash immigration. Option two, mass violence. Option three, social media effects and implications. Option four, parenting styles." It was then that I noticed he was looking up each time he said an option, looking like he was trying to gauge my reaction. Each time he got none he would move on to the next number. "Option five, existence of extraterrestrials." At that I knew my eyes lit up and I knew that Steve noticed because he immediately stopped reading. "You wanna do that one?" I could feel myself blush as I looked down at my bed covers and nodded sheepishly.

"Alright." Steve flipped back to the previous page, taking out a pencil and marking a check next to 'step one'. "Step two; Work with your partner to brainstorm multiple factors related to your topic." Steve looked back up at me. "So, what do you know about aliens?"

That got me to start talking. And Steve never cut me off either, just stared at me, a slight smile on his face, as I rambled on about various U.F.O. sightings and government coverups. He looked especially amazed when I mentioned the ones I had seen or heard about in Arcadia. Did he really never notice the weird stuff that people are always talking about and seeing in this town? A couple times Steve would make comments about my stories that would even make me laugh or just glare at him jokingly. I felt strangely comfortable with Steve, even after all he's done to me. Sure, I'm still a little bit afraid of him and a little bit afraid that he's still plotting behind my back with all this, but he genuinely seems like he's trying his best not to upset me, so that has to mean something, right? Or maybe this has something to do with those notes and this is all part of their stupid, fucked-up plan. I trailed off in the middle of my story about Roswell but Steve didn't seem to notice as he read the website that I had pulled up on my laptop.

"Man." Steve's brown eyes met mine once again and his smile took my off guard. He almost looked nice with that angelic smile and the freckles that covered his cheeks. I quickly shook the thoughts out of my head. "I wish I was half as smart as you." I couldn't even begin to think of how to respond to that as he closed my laptop and began to put his papers full of notes back in his bag. "Hey, I have to get home for dinner or my mom will kill me, but I'll see you at school... Leslie." I immediately frowned, any illusion I may have had of Steve being nice to me were shattered as I remembered the little detail of him now knowing my middle name. He seemed to notice as he quickly patted my arm, trying to fix what he had just done. "I kid. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Does this mean we're friends? And you'll be nice to me at school?" I couldn't stop myself from asking even though I knew it was a bad idea. Steve punched me in the shoulder, not enough to hurt my body, but enough to hurt my feelings.

"Sorry, can't let Brad and Logan know." Steve swung his bag over shoulder and waved at me as he exited my bedroom. "Later, Eli." 

I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. I was stupid to think that Steve would ever be nice to me. A yellow sticky-note fluttered down from my headboard and landed on my chest. I sighed again. Why hadn't I thrown the stupid thing away? Maybe I was still clinging on to hope that it was real and someone actually liked me. I thought back to what Steve had said to me, an actual compliment.

_I wish I was half as smart as you._

 

 


	4. You should smile more, it's gorgeous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Homophobic slurs, somewhat suicidal thoughts

I sighed, looking up at the prison called Arcadia Oaks High School from the sidewalk. I'm not ready for another day in hell but there was no way I could've convinced my mom that I was sick. I snuck my way to my locker, careful to avoid anyone and everyone. I managed to make it through the hallways, only getting tripped once by some jock that I don't even know the name of. My head quickly darted back and forth, making sure no one was paying me any mind before turning my back to open my locker. The door swung open. No note fell out. I was surprised to find myself disappointed by this. It's just a stupid joke why would I be disappointed to not have to deal with it? I let out a sigh and shook my head as I carefully shut the metal door and turned back toward the rest of the hallway to see Brad and Logan standing tall in front of me, obviously trying their best to look threatening. I could feel my eyes widen in fear and the two idiots starting laughing to themselves at just the small movement.

"What do you think we should do to the fag, Logan?" Brad's face was obscured by his sneer and Logan's wasn't much better as he laughed loudly instead of even answering Brad's question. Instead of speaking, Logan simply raised his fist and commenced the 'beating of the nerd' all while the both of them said things like - 'Why don't you just kill yourself' and 'You're such a fucking loser', just to name a few. They were probably right - well, definitely right about the loser part - maybe I should just kill myself. No one would miss me, except maybe my mom. I had just resigned myself to the punishment I was receiving for being alive when I heard a new voice speak up.

"Not letting me get in on the action?" I shouldn't be surprised to hear Steve's voice, of course he doesn't care about me, why would he care about me? I was so stupid for thinking that just because he had been nice to me for one afternoon, it suddenly meant that he would start treating me any differently. I should be more surprised that Brad and Logan haven't called me 'Leslie' yet, seeing as they probably know about _that_ now too. The two jerks stepped aside to let their _king_ have a shot at me. I felt like I was going to cry when I felt Steve roughly grab my arm - in the same place he had playfully hit it just two days ago - and pulled me closer to him, lifting his fist. I expected the knuckles to collide with my eye, what I didn't expect was the whisper of 'run' that went straight into my ear at the same time. I felt Steve's grip on my arm loosen considerably and I listened to him. I ran. Straight to the bathroom where I knew no one would be. Behind me I could hear Brad and Logan complaining to Steve about how he'd let me _escape_ and Steve coming up with excuses about how it happened. I don't even care about how Steve was explaining this. All I could focus on was the tears coming down my face and the utter confusion of everything that I was feeling. I reached the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, the eye that Steve had punched me in was already starting to bruise and I had no idea how I was planning on explaining _that one_ to my mom. I shook my head and dove into a stall, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. I heard the bell ring, signaling the start of homeroom. What's one more day without homeroom? Nothing made sense. I don't even know if Steve helped me or is just trying to hurt me more, in a way that can never be done with fists or kicks.

"Eli? Are you in here?" Steve? I hadn't even heard the bathroom door open. I immediately tried to silence my cries when I heard his voice. "This is, like, the third bathroom I've checked and I really hope I'm not just talking to myself again."

What the fuck is happening? So, Steve gives me a black eye, then lets me escape from my tormentors (which he is one of, may I add) and now he's worried about me and comes looking for me? What the fuck? I tried to keep quiet until my body betrayed me and I instinctively sniffled my nose.

"Eli? I can hear you - unless I'm going insane. Please, just come out." I sighed, why does this keep happening? First Jim and now _Steve_? I pushed open the stall door and looked bravely at Steve's face, even though I knew I looked like shit and I knew there was every chance that he'd make fun of me for it. He didn't. He just looked at me with so much genuine worry and concern that it almost scared me.

"Eli... I-" Steve lifted his hand and I flinched, subconsciously afraid that he'd hit me again. My eyes squeezed shut and my head tilted toward the ground. I felt a cold hand on my cheek, tilting my face back up as my eyes flew open - one with more pain than the other. Steve's head was cocked as he examined my eye, looking about on the edge of tears. "I'm so - I'm so sorry. You... You don't deserve any on this and I have been _such_ a _dick_." His thumb gently rubbed the skin just below my eye, careful not to hurt me more. "I can't believe how much of an asshole I have been. I can't - there's no way I'll ever be able to fix this and..." The blond trailed off in his rambling but continued to stare at me, looking almost... hurt. I frowned, unsure of what to do with whatever this was.

"Please, just... smile." Steve's own face shown a small, soft, watery smile as he said this. I continued to stare at him, confused, my eyes narrowing. "Come on, it makes me feel like even more of a jerk when your face is like that." His hand was still on my cheek, I don't think he'd noticed. I stared at him for a few more seconds before my lips twitched slightly upward. With just that slight movement, Steve started laughing. A genuine, joyful laugh. Not the mean sadistic ones I'm used to hearing. "Better now?" I glanced at him again before lowering my eyes to the tiled floor, remembering all the things he had done to me and would probably continue to do to me. I heard Steve hum quietly to himself, sounding upset. "I really am so sorry, Eli. If there was anything - and I mean  _anything_ \- that I could do to make it up to you I would do it in a heartbeat and -" 

My mom always says that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what they've done in the past. Maybe Steve does too. Maybe I should try to forgive him. Maybe he's not just playing some sick, twisted joke on me to tell the whole school later. Before I could think about what I was doing I had pulled Steve into a hug and his babbling had ceased. I felt more than heard as Steve released a breath he seemed to have been holding as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Thank you Steve."

* * *

I had a few minutes before the bell would ring and force us into our first period classes. Steve had left to go to his homeroom about fifteen minutes ago after we had hugged. It was weird. Maybe today's going to be a good day. Maybe things will start looking up from here. I wandered through the empty hallways to my locker, making sure to avoid any teachers that may be roaming the halls. I had accidently left my Spanish notebook in my locker earlier, forgetting that I didn't have drama today. I would prefer drama. I carefully twisted the lock to my combination and opened the door, surprised when a little blue sticky-note fluttered out. I leaned down to pick it up, my eyes widening when I read the contents.

_Just wanted to say, you should smile more, it's gorgeous_

I had to be a coincidence, right? Just because Steve had been telling me to smile earlier, in the bathroom, doesn't mean he has anything to do with these anonymous notes. Who knows, maybe these notes are actually from some completely different person whom I've never talked to and just happens to like my smile - who knows why, though. I folded the note and put it in my pocket, shaking my head. The bell rang out through the hallways and I quickly grabbed my Spanish notebook and shut my locker, heading in the direction of my next class. As soon as I got to the classroom I settled into a seat in the back, per usual. It was a couple seconds before the bell would ring that Steve sauntered in and took the seat directly next to me, surprising myself and most of the class as there was an abundance of other seats to be sat in. Maybe Steve really had been sincere and really wanted to be my friend. Steve didn't say anything to me and simply stared at Senor Uhl as he started his lecture, whereas I turned my attention to my doodling.

"Attention Juniors, there will be a homecoming meeting in the gym after school today until 3:45." The intercom system briefly interrupted Uhl and he looked at the speaker, vaguely annoyed, before launching straight back into his speech. As I continued doodling I saw a tan hand subtly slide an index card onto my notebook.

_We should go_

I looked up from my doodle and over at Steve who kept glancing at me expectantly. His handwriting looked oddly familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out why.

_To the homecoming meeting???_

I slid the card back onto Steve's desk, hoping that I was just as stealthy as he had been. No one looked back at us so I suppose I had succeeded...

_No, you nerd, to homecoming_

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at the word 'nerd', but Steve kept cutely smiling at me, so I ignored it. Wait, cute? Anyway, how was I supposed to know what he was talking about?

_Like... the game?_

I saw Steve hesitate just slightly before I saw him bite his lip and scribble out his response.

_Yeah, you have to come see how cool I am when I play_

I suppressed a giggle at the way he had written it before scratching out a simple 'okay' and handing the index card back to Steve. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him grinning widely before going back to my doodle of a teenage boy with a cute grin and adorable freckles.


	5. Your laugh is as adorable as it is rare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this about 4 weeks ago and I am so sorry that I didn't sooner, I just got really busy with my life and it couldn't be avoided.

Waiting for Steve Palchuk. Something I thought I would never do. And yet, here I was. Sitting on a cement block in the student parking lot, my leg bouncing nervously as I stared at Steve's blue Vespa. We hadn't talked through A.P. Lang at all until the bell had rang and Steve had pulled me aside in the hallway to ask if we could go to my house after school then demanded that he give me a ride there. I had managed to avoid Brad and Logan as I practically sprinted out of the school, only briefly stopping at my locker to grab my things. Steve hadn't picked on me for the rest of the day. Granted, he hadn't _stopped_ Brad and Logan from throwing me into a trash can during lunch, but he hadn't _joined_ them either... So I'll take that as progress. I jumped as I was pulled out my thoughts when a muscular arm wrapped around my shoulders and brought me to my feet. I opened my eyes from where they had squeezed shut to see Steve's face far too close to my own, grinning like a little boy on Christmas morning. He shouldn't be allowed to be this cute. No! Eli, not cute. Steve is not cute, he may still be your enemy.

"You ready to go?" His grin only widened when I weakly nodded. With his face this close I noticed things I had never noticed before. For example, the light freckles that dusted his cheeks covered almost every inch of Steve's face. I also noticed how his brown eyes sparkled with excitement as a continuation of his smile. Although, I think that had less to do with his distance and more to do with the fact that I didn't often see Steve smile without any trace of malicious intent. Steve practically ran to his Vespa as I tagged along behind him, at a considerably slower pace. It wasn't until Steve had sat down on the seat and was handing me his helmet that I registered a problem.

"How is this going to work?" The seat was small, definitely enough room for two people, but it would be tight. Not to mention there was nothing for me to hold onto. Except Steve. I could _feel_ my face heat up at that thought. I averted my eyes just as I saw Steve narrow his, obviously going into thought. There was a short moment of quiet before Steve spoke up again.

"You could just hold onto my shoulders..." His words were mumbled, almost as if he were embarrassed, but - that couldn't be right. Steve Palchuk didn't _do_ embarrassed. I looked back up at him to see his gaze pointed toward the pavement. I gingerly reached out to grab the helmet that he had offered before and mumbled out a quiet and stuttered 'okay', causing Steve to look back up, restored with his usual confidence.

"Steve? What are you doing with Pepperjack?" Great. At least it was just Logan, I don't think I could deal with both of them right now. I saw Steve's eyes widen with what nearly looked like panic when he saw his friend. Is Logan Steve's friend? I never actually see them together unless they're playing football or picking on me. Huh. I never thought about that before. I quickly lowered my field of view to the ground to avoid looking at either of the boys next to me.

"We just have this stupid Lang project that we have to do together. I'm bringing him to his house." Though still aggressive, Steve's response was less mean than I had anticipated. The passive tone of the blonde's voice caused me to look back up at him. Steve's face was turned to Logan, but his eyes were focused on me, filled with something akin to concern. Why? I'm not quite sure.

"Hmph." Logan glared at Steve, as if trying to uncover some secret that Steve was hiding before turning to head in some other direction of the parking lot. He raised his hand over his head in some sort of wave as he walked off. "Have fun with the loser!"

I turned back to Steve just in time to catch the end of him rolling his eyes. I stood there for a good while, just staring at Steve until he looked at me and opened his mouth to speak up.

"Are you gonna get on or what?" He jerked his thumb in a vague motion behind him. I shook myself out of my stupor before nodding hastily and tugging on the helmet that I was holding. I only hesitated briefly before straddling the Vespa and placing my hands gingerly onto Steve's broad shoulders. "You're going to want to hold on tighter than that." I could hear Steve chuckle through his words as he started up the vehicle and sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

 

Steve was right. I did want to hold on tighter. By the time we got to my house my arms were wrapped fully around his neck and my chest was practically pressed against his back. I hate to admit it, but it wasn't entirely because of the speed. I made eye contact with the other boy as I handed his helmet back to him, getting off the Vespa, but quickly turned my face to the ground as I felt my face heating up, surely turning red. What's wrong with me? I can't even look at him without blushing. I didn't look at Steve or speak a single word as I walked toward my front door. The only way I knew he was actually following me was from the quiet footfalls I heard behind me. As I walked through the door and closed it behind myself and Steve I heard rustling in the kitchen as my mom came to greet us.

"Eli? Were you just on a motorcycle!?" I could hear the worry in my mom's voice. She may be overprotective, but at least she cares. I know that's more than most kids in our high school can say, and I'm thankful for it - as much as it annoys me sometimes. 

"It's a Vespa, Mom." I didn't mean for my voice to come out as annoyed as it did and I quickly apologized as my mom raised her eyebrows at me. She lost all interest she had in the 'motorcycle' as soon as she saw the owner of the vehicle standing awkwardly behind me, casually rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh! Eli, your friend is here again." I almost opened my mouth to correct her - tell her that Steve wasn't my friend - but, at this point, I don't really know  _what_ Steve is to me, so I kept my mouth shut. "I don't think we ever properly met. I'm Hannah Pepperjack, Eli's mom - obviously." My mother stuck out her hand toward Steve as I suppressed the urge to slap the palm of my hand to my face. I guess you could say that the socially awkward apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Thankfully Steve didn't make fun of her as he would have me and just politely took her palm into a handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Pepperjack, I'm Steve." I was shell-shocked. I had never seen Steve be so well-mannered toward  _anyone_ , not even teachers. If I could see me face right now I'm sure I'd see my eyes wide and my mouth slightly ajar in surprise.

"Call me Hannah, please." I could tell by the look on Steve's face that he most definitely was not going to call her Hannah. "Will you be staying for dinner?" I felt my eyes widen once again, this time in fear. Even if Steve was better, there was still no way I wanted him having dinner with my mom. Steve glanced briefly over at me and must have caught the terror in my eyes.

"Actually, my mom would be pretty angry if I missed family dinner." I'm pretty sure it was a lie, but there was no way I was going to call him out on it, he had obviously done it for my benefit. I felt the edges of my mouth twitch upward at the gesture.

"Anyway, we'll be heading upstairs now to work on our project, so..." I trailed off as I grabbed Steve's wrist and gently tugged him in the direction of the stairs. The jock bid a quick goodbye to my mom before following me up to my bedroom. As soon as I had shut the door we assumed the same position we had been in the other day - with Steve in my desk chair and me cross-legged on the bed. I didn't look up at Steve as I began to pull papers out of my bag but I could feel his gaze on me as a green sticky-note fluttered onto my lap from my folder. 

"What's that?" It must have been in my locker and I hadn't noticed it in my rush to leave the school - I hope it's one of the mean ones.

_Just wanted to say, your laugh is as adorable as it is rare._

"Just one of those stupid 'just wanted to say' things, it's probably someone playing a joke on me." Steve grabbed the note from my hands before I could even try to stop him. My heart thumped in my chest at an increasing speed as his dark eyes skimmed over the scrawling words and a small smile formed on his face. "It's the fourth one I've got like that." I felt like I needed to speak up just to fill the silence - or maybe to cover the sound of my heartbeat, I couldn't be sure.

"It doesn't seem like a joke to me." Steve looked up at me with a fond smile and then there was silence. My heart had leapt out of my chest and there was no way to control it now. Then it struck me. The realization.

Fuck. I like Steve.

 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it turns out that Steve's other friend's name is actually Seamus but it's too much work to go back and change it now...


	6. I care about you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Semi-suicidal thoughts, panic attack

Friday - the day of the homecoming game. Why on Earth did I agree to go? Right, because Steve looked so excited and adorable and apparently I can't deny him anything anymore. That's going to be my downfall. The end-of-the-day bell had rung five minutes ago and I was just sitting alone - save for a few of the football players' girlfriends - on the bleachers of the stadium. I had my A.P. Chem homework pulled out and I didn't notice the football team had wandered over until I looked up and they were on the field, stretching. It hadn't occurred to me - until that moment - that I had never seen Steve in his football... uniform? Jersey? Pads? Whatever the proper term is. It also hadn't occurred to me how good he would look. The blond caught my gaze and smiled brightly at me. Logan noticed me too before leaning over and saying something to Steve, whose grin immediately dropped as he responded with a shrug. Steve didn't turn back toward me as the team started to practice - and by practice I mean: run around, throw the ball at each other, and shout things I didn't know the meaning of. I turned back to my Chem homework and didn't bother watching anymore.

* * *

 

My Chem homework was done by the time the stands started filling up for the actual game. The team had left to the locker room about an hour ago and I had moved down to the front row where I could easily escape if I had to. Students, parents, and random high school sports enthusiasts alike began to flood the stands, spiking my anxiety as the strangers surrounded me. I focused on my breathing, trying to slow it down - along with my rapid heartbeat.

"Eli?" 90s rock music blasted over the stadium speakers as I looked up to see Toby staring at me with confusion. Jim and Claire were standing behind him - holding hands and  looking at me with a similar expression. "What are _you_ doing at a _football_ game?" It didn't sound mean, the way he said it - just utterly confused. I opened my mouth and almost told him that Steve had asked me to come.

"I wanted to see what all the excitement was about. You know, go team!" The three of them looked at me skeptically before Jim nodded with acceptance and the three sat down on my left. The team from Arcadia Bay was already warming up and I could see some of our cheerleaders, specifically Mary Wang, trying to flirt with them. My attention was torn away from the other team as the pep band started playing the school song and our team came running onto the field. Before I knew it the game was in full swing. Everyone around me was shouting and cheering - I was shouting and cheering with them, though I didn't know what I was shouting or cheering for. By the time the first quarter ended I was pretty sure we were winning. I mean, the scoreboard said, **HOME: 7, AWAY: 0** and I'm pretty confident that's what we want. Football's not like golf, I know that much. Between the quarters the teams were huddling - that's the right word - and I could see Steve looking at me from the field. My vision was suddenly blocked out by someone standing directly in front of me. My eyes trailed up to her face, clad with red framed glasses and a nervous expression. Shannon shifted from one foot to the other as she started to ramble out some sort of explanation for why she was standing in front of me.

"Eli. I'm glad that you're here. I mean - I wasn't expecting you to be here but... I told myself, 'If Eli's at the homecoming game then I'm gonna ask him.'" _Ask me what?_ I would have said it, too - if I currently had the ability to speak. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Toby, Jim, and Claire looking at us.

"So, I'm just gonna come right out and ask!" Shannon took a deep breath and looked at me with determined eyes. "Will you go to the homecoming dance with me?" I froze. It suddenly felt like everyone in the stadium was looking at me - staring at me. Sure, everyone at the school already _thinks_ I'm gay - except Shannon apparently - but I had never really come out.

"I -" I couldn't tell Shannon I was gay, not in front of all these people. "I - I can't, Shannon." I stood up, carefully avoiding eye contact with anyone. "I'm sorry." My voice cracked as I ran off, looking for anywhere I could go where people can't see me. Everyone was staring at me, they were closing in on me, I couldn't escape. I saw an opening in the crowd leading to the back of a building and took my chance to run. I could hear people placing their concession orders faintly as my back hit the wall of the stand - hard. My eyelids felt like they were locked together as I gripped the sides of my head as if I were trying to rip out all of my hair. My thoughts were jumbling in my head as the tears began to stream down my face. The words, the ideas, the colors in my head were a cacophony of chaos. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't feel. 

"ELI!" My eyes shot open to see brown eyes and cheeks covered with freckles. I was suddenly aware of the hands shaking my shoulders and the horribly concerned expression painted onto Steve's face. I still couldn't speak, I still couldn't breathe, but at least I could sort of think. Steve's supposed to be playing in the game. Why is he here? Did he see me freak out? "Eli? Are you okay?" He sounded terrified in a way that I never thought I'd ever hear anyone sound, in a way that sounded like their child or spouse had just been brutally murdered in front of their eyes.

"I-I..." I grasped desperately at the sound of my voice, hopelessly trying to make the words remove themselves from my throat. "I couldn't tell her - not with everyone listening." That's what came out? Even in my malfunctioning mind I know that won't make sense to Steve. Luckily, he just seemed relieved that I was able to speak.

"Tell who what?" His words were gentle, as if trying to coax the information from my breaking conscience. 

"Shannon. She-" I took a deep breath. Steve stared at me patiently with worried eyes. When I finally got my panting under control, my words came out in a rush. "She asked me to go to the homecoming dance with her, but I couldn't tell her I was gay, not with everyone around. I should've just told her, why couldn't I tell her? Everyone already knows anyway. Why should I care if they hear from me? I'm so fucking weak - I can't even say the words 'I'm gay' without have a fucking panic attack!" I could see Steve's eyes widening and his jaw dropping as the verbal chaos spewed from my mouth. I wanted to stop - I couldn't stop. It was like the floodgates had opened and there was nothing I could do to seal them back up again. "It's not as if anyone could hate my any more. No one even cares about me, why would the words 'I'm gay' change any of that?"

"Eli. Look at me." Steve's stern voice and the hand on my cheek cut off the word vomit falling from my lips. "It doesn't matter that you couldn't say a couple stupid words, that doesn't make you weak. Besides, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks of you because there are always going to be people who love you and care about you. You know that, Eli? _I_ care about you, even if you think no one else in the world does. I'll say it to your face that you're important so that you never forget it, okay? I care about you."

My mouth fell open as I stared in Steve's eyes - intense with determination. I didn't know how to respond. I never would have expected anything like this from Steve. Just a couple weeks ago I would've thought the world was ending if Steve even uttered the words 'I  _almost_ don't hate you.' I wish I could've said something meaningful, but it wouldn't come out of my mouth. Instead, what I got was: "Aren't you supposed to be playing football?"

The corners of Steve's eyes crinkled as he began to smile before completely breaking down into laughter. "I couldn't just watch you run out of the stands in a panic. I care about you too much for that."


	7. I won't let them touch you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a wild ride, folks. Sorry it took so long - I think I broke my promise of two weeks by a little bit - this one was hard to write.  
> TW: Homophobic slurs, almost rape (don't worry no one actually gets raped)  
> If you want to skip that part, though, it starts at "my hands were pushed behind my back..." and ends at "He approached me slowly..."

Going back to school on Monday, it felt like everyone knew about the little issue I had had at the football game. Steve had come over on Sunday to work on our project and assured me that he hadn't told anyone about the whole incident and that Shannon had seemed just fine at the dance. The only problem was, Steve wasn't the only one who had seen the ordeal. Anyone could have told anyone how I had run off after a girl asked me to go to a dance with her. Thankfully, the first half of my day was peaceful, Steve had managed to keep Brad and Logan from seeing me in the morning and during lunch, meaning I was surprisingly not covered in bruises or dried tears throughout my day. Sure, there had been a few mean notes in my locker but no one had said a word to me until Claire had asked, during Drama, what had happened with Shannon. Luckily, she dropped the subject as soon as I shook my head and didn't say anything else to me throughout the period. The problem didn't actually arise until I was standing outside the doors to the gym, dreading going inside. There was no way I could avoid Brad and Logan seeing me and Steve wouldn't be there to distract them. I watched the two boys laughing together through the window of the door as they sauntered into the locker room and out of view. The sudden feeling of a hand being placed on my shoulder made me jump and turn to see Steve smiling gently at me - obviously passing the gym on the way to his next class.

"Everything's gonna be fine." Just hearing his voice made me feel better - it shouldn’t have, but it did. "How about I wait here after class to make sure you're okay?"

His offer made my smile slightly and nod my head. He returned my smile before adjusting his backpack straps and nodding himself. He left almost as suddenly as he had appeared. I took a deep breath and gathered the courage to push open the door, walking directly toward the locker room and avoiding eye contact with anyone who was already in the gym. Somehow, I managed to walk into the locker room just as Brad and Logan were walking out. Logan sneered at me as Brad smirked and elbowed his friend whispering something in his ear. Logan's sneer dropped and a nefarious smirk of his own was born on his face. I took a shuddering breath as I walked passed them, pointing my gaze toward the tiled floor. I changed as slow as I could, practically trembling with fear at the thought of what might happen when I stepped foot back in the gym - even debating whether or not to actually even  _ leave  _ the locker room. I hadn’t even fully gathered up my courage to leave yet when I finally did step out the door. Coach yelled at me for being late.

Brad and Logan ignored me.

Not once did they trip me, laugh at my inability to climb the rope, throw basketballs at my head. They acted as if I didn’t exist. I should be happy, right? I should be glad that they aren’t taking every opportunity to ridicule me. I’m not. There’s an empty pit in my stomach and it’s only deepening every time they pass up a chance to be cruel to me. They have to be planning something - something big and something very, very bad. I caught Shannon staring at me as I sulked back toward the locker room, hoping I could take longer to walk to the door than it would take for Brad and Logan to get changed. I averted my gaze from the short-haired girl as she disappeared into her own respective locker room. Other boys were coming out of the door when I reached it - maybe I’d be lucky and Brad and Logan would leave before I even got to my locker. 

I shouldn’t have waited. Brad and Logan were still laughing together in one of the corners and a few other boys looked like they were just about to leave when I walked in. I should have just gone in and changed as fast as I could - now I ran the risk of being left alone in the locker room with only Brad and Logan to ‘keep me company.’ I turned my back to the rest of the room as I pulled off my gym shirt and started changing. I prayed to any god or goddess that might exist that I would get out of here without any trouble. I don’t think any of them heard me. I had just finished putting my gym clothes back into my locker when I heard Logan’s malicious voice from behind me.  


"Hey faggot." I spun around and automatically looked around at the empty room, hoping beyond hope that the cruel words might be directed at someone else - anyone else. The room was truly empty. The boys I had seen earlier were gone - I was truly alone with them. "We saw you run away from Shannon at the game like a little pussy."

Brad laughed at Logan's 'joke' that was actually nothing close to a joke. "I was beginning to think you were just afraid of girls until a little birdy told us that you were  _actually_ gay! Could you imagine the shock we went through?" Someone told them? Steve. Steve was the only one who knew - it couldn't have been anyone else. I can't believe I fucking trusted him. I can't believe I fell for that stupid, adorable smile. "Then I thought; well, if we have a fag - why don't we use him?" I couldn't register Brad's words as Logan pushed me harshly to the ground - so hard that my head banged against the bench behind me. I couldn't register it as my hands were pushed behind my back against the bench. I felt my ankles being held together as I struggled to free myself. My eyes were wide as the two boys leaned back to look at me with disgust - Brad pulled out his phone and took a picture with a horrific sneer gracing his features. I couldn't bring myself to shout for help, none of my functions were working. They must have tied my wrist together with something - I could feel the fabric on my arms and I could see the shirt tied around my ankles.

"I bet you like sucking dick." That was all Logan said before he was on me again. I tried to scream but there was a hand over my mouth. I tried to break free but there were four sets of appendages holding me down, unbuttoning and unzipping pants - mine and theirs - pushing my shirt up off my chest. It felt as if the world was stuttering until a strangled gasp and a choked out; "What... the... fuck?" broke into what could only be my worst nightmare. My eyes were still squeezed shut as the crushing feeling of the body weight of two teenage football players was removed from my ribs.

"Steve! My main man! Come to join the fun?" My eyes were open after that - of course Steve was in on this. Our gazes met passed Logan and Brad. I didn't expected his brown orbs to look so truly horrified while I'm sure mine were full of terror and shame.

"What the fuck?" His voice sounded angrier this time but it seemed to be the only thing he was able to say as he repeated it over and over under his breath until he finally screamed it at them. The other two boys seemed unaffected as they just laughed it off.

"Did you know that the fag is actually gay?" Brad's question caught my attention and broke me slightly out of my stupor. If Brad is asking Steve if he knew then Steve couldn't have been the one who told them - unless this is some sort of sadistic plot. But if Steve didn't tell them then who else knows? Steve wasn't looking at me anymore. I'm fairly certain he's punching them - I can't really tell who's winning through the blur of tears that's been steadily building in my eyes. There's more shouting, I can't tell what they're saying - the voices sound too muffled and far away. Two of them are gone now, I can only assume that it was Steve who remained. He approached me slowly as if I were some sort of frightened animal - although, I suppose I sort of was. When he wiped the tears from my face I could see how angry he looked, it was almost the same look he'd give me when he'd hit me. Somehow this look was both better and worse. It was simultaneously a more terrifying level of anger and more comforting because it wasn't directed at me. I heard his voice rasp under his breath in my ear as he reached behind me to untie my hands.

"I won't let them touch you. Ever again." 

I felt the fabric fall from my wrist and saw the shirt being removed from my ankles. As soon as I was free my knees were up and pressed together and my arms were wrapped around Steve's neck. My pants were still unbuttoned, my fly was still undone and my shirt was still pulled up off my torso, but my head was pressed into Steve's chest, his muscular arms were wrapped safely around my waist and his chin was rested on my hair.


End file.
